The T-Man Chronicles: 1.0

[terman1]

I had a very good day today and lots of progress was made.


Weighted Chins*
BW x 5
BW x 5
BW+25 x 4
BW+35 x 3
BW+45 x 3
BW+55 x 2
BW+60 x 1, 1, 1, 1 (rest/pause set)
BW+25 x 4 (backoff set)
BW x 7
*BW = 200 pounds


HammerStrength Iso-Lateral Row*
100 x 10
150 x 8
220 x 5
220 x 5
220 x 5
*plate weight only


Hoist Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown*
180 x 8
300 x 5
300 x 5
300 x 4
*plate weight only


Single-Arm Cable Row
60 x 12
120 x 8
120 x 8
120 x 8


Close-Grip Lat Pulldown*
60 x 10
130 x 10
130 x 10
130 x 8
*w/ hammer grip attachment


Reverse Cable Crossovers*
20 x 10
20 x 10
20 x 8
*duel stack/weight per stack


Single-Arm Cable Shrugs
37.5 x 10
37.5 x 10
37.5 x 10
37.5 x 10


Whew, that certainly does it for today! Reps were gained on the Weighted Chins today and I also added another five pounds to my top set and squeezed out four additional rest-pause reps. Another ten pounds was added to the HammerStrength Iso-Lateral Row today and for the third week in a row I completed reps across all sets. I’ll add another ten pounds to my sets next week.

Hoist Wide-Grip Lat Pulldowns were bumped another ten pounds today and I just missed reps across by one. I’ll leave these as they are for now and take another run at this next time. The Single-Arm Cable Rows were increased by ten pounds this week and reps were backed off to eight. I will leave them at this weight for now and work back to sets of ten.

Ten more pounds was added to the Close-Grip Lat Pulldowns today and they are progressing nicely. Five pounds was also added to the Reverse Cable Crossovers and they moved along as well. Last was the Single-Arm Cable Shrugs and after a five pound increase I was able to get all reps across all four sets. These will be getting another five pound bump next week.

Well, one more down and one more to go! Shoulders & Tris tomorrow. I’ll do Standing Barbell Press, Skullcrushers, DB Shoulder Press, Tricep Pulldowns, Barbell Upright Rows, Overhead Tricep Extensions and DB Lateral Raises.

[terman1]

HammerStrength Incline Press
90 x 10
140 x 8
200 x 5
200 x 5
200 x 4


Skullcrushers
30 x 12
40 x 10
70 x 8
70 x 8
70 x 8


DB Shoulder Press
30’s x 8
40’s x 8
50’s x 8
55’s x 8
60’s x 7
65’s x 3


Tricep Pulldowns*
32.5 x 12
57.5 x 8
57.5 x 8
57.5 x 8
*w/ rope attachment


Smith Barbell Upright Row
55 x 10
85 x 10
90 x 10
95 x 10


Single-Arm Tricep Extension
15’s x 12
20’s x 10
25’s x 5


Another good end to another good week. Started the day with HammerStrength Incline Bench and ten pounds was added since the last time I did them. I completed all reps on the first two sets and just missed the last rep on the top set. These are actually a really good fit on my shoulder day because they do a very good job of hitting my front delts and also put my shoulders in a more comfortable position to press, unlike the bar which has been bothering my shoulders lately. I’ll stick with this weight until I can manage five reps across all sets.

The Skullcrushers were bumped ten pounds and the reps were reduced from ten to eight. I got all reps with this new weight today and I plan on working up to sets of ten across before adding additional weight. DB Shoulder Press progressed well this week and additional reps were added to my 4th, 5th and 6th sets today. My current goal is to be able to work up to eight reps across all sets so I’ll keep everything as-is for now and keep plugging away.

Five pounds was added to the Tricep Pulldowns today and reps were reduced back to eight reps per set. I’ll work these back up to ten reps across before adding more weight. I also added another five pounds to each set of Smith Barbell Upright Rows and completed reps across so these will see another five pound bump next week.

The day was finished up with Single-Arm Tricep Extensions and two reps were gained on the 2nd set and one additional rep was gained on the 3rd. I am going with a 12-10-8 scheme on these so once I can get eight reps on the top set I’ll add another five pounds to each sets.

Post workout meal was a Met-Rx bar and a quart of chocolate milk


That does it for this week. I’ll rest up over the weekend and start next week off with DB Inclines Bench, HammerStrength Flat Bench, Weighted Dips, Cable Crossovers, DB Flyes, Barbell Curls and Cable Concentration Curls.

[terman1]

The week has started off on a good note today and some major progress has been made.


DB Incline Bench
50’s x 10
50’s x 10
70’s x 6
80’s x 6
90’s x 5
90’s x 3
90’s x 4

I ditched the back-off sets here today and replaced them with two additional max sets with the 90’s. I’ll work to solidify five reps across all top sets before adding additional weight.


HammerStrength Flat Bench*
90 x 10
180 x 8
240 x 5
240 x 5
240 x 5
*plate weight only

I added ten more pounds to my max sets today and completed all reps. I’ll add another ten pounds to all work sets next week.


Weighted Dips*
BW+10 x 8
BW+25 x 6
BW+35 x 5
BW+45 x 5
BW+55 x 5
BW+55 x 4
BW+55 x 3
*bw = 200 pounds

Just like on the DB Bench, I also removed the two drop sets here today and replaced them with two more max sets. These went better then expected however my shoulders were feeling a little stressed today after completing the top set so I’ll need to be cautious of that when considering how much additional weight to add going forward.


Cable Crossovers
35 x 10
70 x 10
70 x 10
70 x 9

I picked up a couple of reps here today and almost got reps across. I’ll keep these as-is and try again next week.


DB Incline Flyes
25’s x 10
45’s x 10
45’s x 10
45’s x 8

Five more pounds were added to each set today and they went very well. I’ll work towards my goal of ten reps across before bumping these again.


Barbell Curls
40 x 10
70 x 10
70 x 10
70 x 8

These didn’t move for me today however I just bumped these ten pounds last week so I’m ok with that for now. I’ll just need to keep plugging away at it.


Cable Concentration Curls
22.5 x 8
22.5 x 8
22.5 x 8

I hit rep goal here today. I’ll try working this weight up to ten reps across all sets before adding more weight.


That’s it for now. I’ll be back again tomorrow to do Squats, Romanians, Barbell Lunges, Prone Leg Curls, Standing and Seated Calf Raises, Hanging Knee Raises and Cable Crunches.

[terman1]

Squatz
Bar x 10
125 x 8
165 x 6
205 x 5
225 x 4
230 x 3
235 x 3
175 x 8 (backoff set)

I followed my normal progression scheme here today however instead of three sets at 225 I added five pounds to my middle and ten pounds to my top set scoring a triple on both.


Romanians
Bar x 8
105 x 8
165 x 6
225 x 6
275 x 5
315 x 2

I remain at two reps on the top set for the second week however slight progress was made due to increasing overall volume. On set #4 the weight was increased from 215 to 225 and on set #5 the weight was increased from 265 to 275. Perhaps progressing these two sets will possibly create some additional adaptation which will help to push my top set forward.


Smith Barbell Lunge
65 x 5
105 x 5
155 x 3
195 x 2

Last week’s reps were matched here today. I was considering trying for the triple on top today however my legs and lower back were fatigued from the squats and Romanians and I knew going down that I wasn’t going to get back up with it today. I’ll keep everything just like it is for now and give it another go next week.


Prone Leg Curl
50 x 8
100 x 8
100 x 8
100 x 8

I finally got al my reps on these today so I’ll add five more pounds to each set next time and do my best to duplicate my previous efforts.


Standing Calf Raise
200 x 15
320 x 15
320 x 15
320 x 15
320 x 15

Ten pounds was added to each set today and all sets were completed. I’ll add another ten pounds to each work set next week.


Seated Calf Raise
235 x 15
235 x 15
235 x 15

Another ten pounds was added to all sets here today as well so these will also see another ten pound increase next week.


Hanging Knee Raises
BW+25 x 8
BW+25 x 8
BW+25 x 8
BW+25 x 8

I bumped the weight on these today and got reps across. I will now work to increase my reps to ten across all sets.


Cable Ab Crunch
130 x 8
130 x 8
130 x 5

I added ten more pounds to these today and went for three sets of eight and did pretty good with them. I’ll continue to work at this weight until I can get all reps.


That’s it for today. I’ll be back again tomorrow for Weighted Chins, HammerStrength Seated Rows, Lat Pulldowns, Single-Arm Cable Rows, Close-Grip Lat Pulldowns, Reverse Crossovers and Single-Arm Cable Shrugs.

[terman1]

Weighted Chins
BW x 5
BW x 5
BW+25 x 5
BW+35 x 4
BW+45 x 3
BW+55 x 2
BW+60 x 1
BW+60 x 1
BW+60 x 1
BW+60 x 1
BW+60 x 1
BW+25 x 5 (drop set #1)
BW x 10 (drop set #2)
* BW = 200 pounds

Today was a great day for the Weighted Chins. Additional reps were gained on my middle sets as well as the drop sets. The look on the guys face doing barbell curls in the rack next to me as I was strapping 60 pounds of weight to my belt was priceless. I’ll leave things as-is and continue to add reps to my sets ‘cause since it ain’t broke I’m not trying to fix it.


HammerStrength Iso-Lateral Row
100 x 8
150 x 6
230 x 5
230 x 5
230 x 5
* plate weight only

I added ten more pounds to the sets today and somehow once again got reps across. I’m not sure where the strength is coming from but I’m certainly not going to question it. I’ll add another dime to the sets again next week and see how long I can keep it going.


Hoist Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown
180 x 10
310 x 5
310 x 5
310 x 4
* plate weight only

Ten pounds was added to each of the work sets today and did better then expected; only missing the final rep on the last set. I’ll keep them the same and take another run at them next week.


Single Arm Cable Row
60 x 10
120 x 10
120 x 10
120 x 10

I was able to add two reps to each set today and reached my current goal. Next time I’ll add another ten pounds to each set, cut the reps back to eight per set and work may way back up to ten reps again.


Reverse Cable Crossovers
10 x 10
20 x 10
20 x 10
20 x 10
* dual stack, weight per stack

I picked up my last two reps on the final set today, giving me reps across. I’ll increase the weight by a total of ten pounds (five pounds per stack) next week and reduce the reps back to eight.


Close-Grip Lat Pulldown
70 x 10
130 x 10
130 x 10
130 x 10

Today I found the missing three reps on the top set which were missing from last week. Goal has been reached so I’ll add another ten pounds per set next time and reduce the reps back to eight.


Single Arm Cable Shrugs
42.5 x 10
42.5 x 10
42.5 x 10
42.5 x 10
* Two second pause/squeeze on top, each rep

Five pounds was added to these today and all sets were completed once again. I’ll bump these another five pounds next week and keep the reps at ten.


…and that will do it for today. I’ll be back again tomorrow to finish up my week with HammerStrength Incline Bench, Skullcrushers, DB Shoulder Press, Tricep Pulldowns, Barbell Upright Rows, Tricep Overhead Extensions and DB Lateral Raises.

[ironwill2008]

DB Shoulder Press
30’s x 8
40’s x 8
50’s x 8
60’s x 8
70’s x 2

These really stand out; GJ!


Good deal on Standing French Press too. For some reason, few people use these even though they're probably the best way to work all three heads at the same time, and especially work the long head.

[terman1]

What a super way to end the week!


HammerStrength Incline Bench
90 x 10
140 x 8
180 x 6
200 x 5
210 x 3
220 x 2
230 x 2
*plate weight only

I wanted to test myself on these today so I switched things up a little this time. Rather then working my three straight sets at 200 pounds as planned I added three additional sets to that while increasing the weight by ten pounds per set. As expected, I got my reps with the 200 then managed a 3, 2, and 2 on the post sets while increasing the weight. I’m satisfied with how these went and I now have a new goal; five reps across all work sets.


Skullcrushers
30 x 10
40 x 10
70 x 10
70 x 10
70 x 10

Today’s goal was to increase the reps from eight to ten per set here today and the goal was met. I’ll slightly lower the reps and bump all work sets another ten pounds next week and work to get eight reps across all sets.


DB Shoulder Press
30’s x 8
40’s x 8
50’s x 8
60’s x 8
70’s x 2

After picking up my 8th rep today on the 60’s I was feeling good so I skipped over the set of 65’s and went straight for the 70’s just to see what I could do. The heaviest set of dbs I ever shoulder pressed was a pair of 65’s so I was pretty excited about getting a double with the 70’s today. I gave it a moment and tried it again but unfortunately I wasn’t able to duplicate my efforts. I’m still happy though because it’s a new PR for me and now I know that I can do it!


Tricep Cable Pulldowns
32.5 x 10
57.5 x 10
57.5 x 10
57.5 x 10

I increased the reps from eight to ten on all sets today and got reps across. Next week I’ll reduce the rep count back down to eight and add an additional five pounds per set.


Barbell Upright Rows
55 x 10
95 x 10
95 x 10
95 x 10

I was able to get reps across here today but for the second week in a row I was having some shoulder/rc discomfort towards the end of my last set. Barbell uprights are a really good exercise, IMO, as long as they don’t cause any issues however I don’t think I want to push the envelope much longer so between now and next week I will decide what to do with them. I am leaning towards going back to db upright rows because I have never had an issue when doing them with the dbs.


Standing French Press
20 x 10
30 x 10
40 x 10
50 x 10
60 x 6

The Single-Arm Tricep Extensions were exchanged for Standing French Press today just to see how I would like them because I heard that these were also a very good overhead tricep exercise. I started light, using a fixed EZ bar and increased the weight by ten pounds until I found a weight that I would top off with. Since I managed six good reps with the 60 pound barbell I estimate that I should be good for three sets of 8-10 reps with the 50 pound barbell so that will be my goal next week.


DB Lateral Raises
10’s x 10
20’s x 8
20’s x 8
20’s x 8

Good progress was also made here today. The weight was bumped up by five pounds per set and I was able to get reps across. I’ll continue to work with the 20 pound ‘bells until I can work up to ten reps across all sets.

Post workout meal was a Subway 6” bacon, egg and cheese breakfast sandwich with lettuce, tomato and onion and a small coffee.


And that’ll do ‘er for this week. I’ll rest up over the weekend and return again next week to do DB Incline Bench, HammerStrength Flat Bench, Weighted Dips, Cable Crossovers, DB Incline Flyes, Barbell Curls and Cable Concentration Curls.


Have a great weekend everyone!

[terman1]

These really stand out; GJ!

Hey, thanks Bill. My goal is to eventually work up to eight reps with the 70's so it looks like I got lots of work ahead of me!

Good deal on Standing French Press too. For some reason, few people use these even though they're probably the best way to work all three heads at the same time, and especially work the long head.

Thanks. I've been incorporating some overhead work for a while now in the form of db overhead extensions but after hearing you talk about the French's recently I though it may be something worth trying. To be honest it was one of those exercises that I completely forgot existed. I was plesently surprised by the stretch I got from these today so as long as my elbow doesn't start squawking (which happens with certain tricep exercises) it looks like these might be a keeper.

[terman1]

DB Incline Bench
50’s x 10
50’s x 10
70’s x 8
80’s x 8
90’s x 6
90’s x 5
90’s x 5

I had a goal of five reps across all sets on the 90’s today and I actually went beyond that by hitting a sixth rep on the first top set. I meant to stop at five but the weight was going up so well that the rep just came naturally. I am going to go for six reps across all sets before adding more weight here.


HammerStrength Flat Bench*
90 x 10
180 x 8
250 x 5
250 x 4
250 x 4
*plate weight only

I added another ten pounds to each set today and once again I’ll work towards five reps across.


Weighted Dips*
BW+10 x 10
BW+25 x 8
BW+35 x 6
BW+45 x 6
BW+55 x 5
BW+55 x 5
BW+55 x 5
*BW = 201

I increased reps on every set today and reached my goal of 3 x 5 on the max sets. I am going to work towards increasing reps on those sets before adding more weight because I barely got that fifth rep on the top set today. My new goal is to work up to a 3 x 6 on those sets.


Cable Crossovers
35 x 12
70 x 10
70 x 10
70 x 10

Two reps were gained on the top set today, giving me reps across. I’ll add another ten pounds to each set next week.


DB Flyes
45’s x 10
45’s x 10
45’s x 10

I picked up my last two reps on the top set here today so next week I’ll bump the weight up to a pair of 50’s.


Barbell Curls
40 x 12
70 x 10
70 x 10
70 x 10

All reps were had on these today so next week I’ll add ten pounds to each set.


Cable Concentration Curls
22.5 x 10
22.5 x 10
22.5 x 10

Lastly I got all reps here so I’ll add another five pounds per set next time.


That’s it for today. I’ll be back again tomorrow to do Squats, Romanians, Prone Leg Curls, Standing & Seated Calf Raises, Hanging Knee Raises and Cable Crunches.

[terman1]

Barbell Squat
BAR x 10
135 x 8
165 x 6
205 x 5
225 x 5
235 x 3
245 x 1
255 x 1
265 x 1

After increasing a couple reps on my primary sets I decided to do some singles today in order to get used to the feel of some additional weight on the bar. I enjoyed doing the singles at the end of my regular sets so I will let this set-up remain like it is and possibly work towards turning those singles into doubles.


Romanians
105 x 8
165 x 8
225 x 6
275 x 5
315 x 2

Other then adding a rep to my third set, these remain a carbon copy of last week’s efforts. My plan of attack is to add ten pounds to everything except for my top set next time and try to keep my reps the same.


Leg Curls
60 x 10
105 x 8
105 x 8
105 x 4

I added five pounds to my sets here today and tried targeting eight reps across all sets. First two sets went well but by the third set I was out of gas. I’ll continue to march on, adding reps to my sets when I can.


Calf Raises*
200 x 15
330 x 15
330 x 15
330 x 15
330 x 15
*plate weight only

Another ten was added to the bar today and I worked through all sets. Ten more will be added on next time.


Seated Calf Raises
245 x 15
245 x 15
245 x 15

Ten pounds was added to all sets today and I got reps across. I’ll add another ten next time.


Hanging Knee Raises
BW+25 x 10
BW+25 x 10
BW+25 x 10

I was able to add two reps to each set today and worked through all three sets. I will add another five pounds next time and reset my reps back to eight.


Weighted Crunch
70 x 8
130 x 8
130 x 8
130 x 8

I picked up three reps on my top set today and got my reps across. I’ll work these up to ten reps per set before adding more weight.


And that will do it for today. Two more workouts for me then on to a deload week. I’ll be back tomorrow to do Weighted Chins, HammerStrength Seated Rows, Lat Pulldowns, Single-Arm Cable Rows, Close-Grip Lat Pulldowns, Cable Shrugs and Reverse Crossovers.

[terman1]

Chins
BW x 5
BW x 5
BW+25 x 5
BW+35 x 5
BW+45 x 3
BW+55 x 2
BW+60 x 1
BW+60 x 1
BW+60 x 1
BW+60 x 1
BW+60 x miss
BW+25 x 5
BW x 10

Although a great deal of progress wasn’t made, I was happy to have added a rep to my intermediate set of 35’s, matched everywhere else and just missed getting my chest up to the bar on the last 60 single. I’m at my “current” limit with these so the plan is to leave things as they are for now and just work hard to keep adding reps when and where I can.


HammerStrength Seated Row*
100 x 8
150 x 6
240 x 5
240 x 5
240 x 5
*plate weight only

I added an extra 10 pounds to my sets today and completed all sets; just barely getting my fifth rep on the top set today. By bumping these ten pounds per week, I have gone from three work sets of 210 to three work sets of 240 over the past four weeks and I’m finally to the point where I feel that no more weight needs to be added, for now. When I return after my deload my new goal is to start to once again slowly transition this weight to a slightly higher rep range. I will work to increase al sets to eight reps then reevaluate from there.


Lat Pulldowns*
180 x 8
310 x 5
310 x 5
310 x 5
*plate weight only

Today I picked up a tough last rep on top which was missed last week and got reps across. Just like with the seated rows, my new goal is to slowly add reps and get all sets into the eight rep range.


Single-Arm Cable Rows
70 x 10
130 x 8
130 x 8
130 x 8

Ten pounds was added today and I completed my task of eight reps across. New goal is to work all sets up to ten reps before bumping these again.


Close-Grip Lat Pulldowns*
70 x 10
140 x 8
140 x 8
140 x 8
*hammer grip attachment

I added ten pounds to these today and hit my goal of eight reps across. I’ll work these up to ten reps per set before adding more weight.


Reverse Cable Crossovers*
15 x 10
22.5 x 8
22.5 x 8
22.5 x 8
*dual stack, weight per stack

I added five pounds to my sets today (2.5 pounds per stack) and met my goal of eight reps across. I’ll now work these up to ten reps per set.


Single-Arm Cable Shrugs
47.5 x 10
47.5 x 10
47.5 x 10
47.5 x 10

Two reps were added to each set today and I got all reps. I’ll increase the weight five pounds next time and do four sets of eight.


That’s it for today. I’ll be back tomorrow to do HammerStrength Incline Press, Skullcrushers, DB Shoulder Press, Tricep Pulldowns, DB Lateral Raises, Standing French Press and DB Upright Rows.

[terman1]

I was looking for something online today and stumbled across Matt “Kroc” Kroczaleski’s website and found a pretty good article about goal setting. I really enjoyed the article and could relate to a lot of what he was saying. I think it’s a little long to post in the open forums so I’m just going to post it here in case anyone wants else to read it as well.


Effective Goal Setting


Redefine your expectations

Probably the most important aspect of goal setting is defining exactly what you want to achieve and what you believe to be possible. Many of us become too complacent and satisfied with where we are and cease striving for constant and continual improvement. This is especially common if you are already the biggest and strongest guy in your gym or in your circle of friends. It has been said that the biggest tragedy in life is not setting your goals too high and never reaching them but rather setting them too low and achieving them. While this may seem counter intuitive to some we must remember that goals in general are a journey and never a destination. Goals are the stepping stones of progression while satisfaction and complacency are the killers of dreams. If we find ourselves completely satisfied when we achieve a specific goal we cease to desire more and thus cease to progress and grow. There is always more regardless of the arena and it is the process of growing and continually progressing that truly satisfies not the end result as so many would have you believe.

So if you suffer from the big fish in the small pond scenario, how do effectively break out of it? You must redefine your expectations, both of what is possible and what you view yourself to be capable of. You accomplish this by immersing yourself in a world that exceeds your current abilities and expectations. If you’re a strength athlete, join a gym or find training partners that are stronger than you are, preferably a lot stronger than you are. Not only will you progress simply from witnessing bigger weights being moved in front of you on a daily basis but you will also benefit from their greater knowledge and experience. Attend national and world championship meets. If you are currently capable of a 600 or 700 pound squat you may very well be the strongest lifter at a local meet but if you attend a world class meet where many of the lifters are opening with over 1000 pound squats suddenly your 700 doesn’t seem so impressive any longer. You begin to see that so much more is possible and you start to redefine for yourself both what you feel is possible and what your expectations are.

Goals should be specific and objective

When setting goals it is imperative that they be specific and as definable as possible. Vague goals lead to obscure results. Avoid setting goals that are subjective where results can be altered independent of your own progress. For example many athletes that compete set goals based upon the result of their next competition. At first glance most people will assume this is a great way to set goals but if we look at it in greater depth we will quickly see where the flaws lie with this type of thinking. Let’s say your goal is to win a local bodybuilding show. The show comes and you come in slightly smaller and softer than your previous competition but you still win as the show turns out to be less competitive than usual. You have now accomplished your goal by winning the show but what have you really achieved? You actually regressed but still succeeded in reaching your goal. Of course the opposite can be true as well. You come in bigger and harder than ever making significant progress but another competitor shows up from out of nowhere and blows everyone else off the stage with a national caliber physique. In this scenario I think it becomes immediately apparent that failing to achieve your goal wasn’t really a failure.

More effective goal setting for a strength athlete would consist of a goal that requires adding a certain number of pounds to your lifts or may even include improvements in technique. For a bodybuilder it would be more conducive to gauge progress in terms of measurements, bodyweight and body fat percentage. Of course these are but a few of the ways we can define our goals but the important point to take away from this is that no matter what your goals may be make them definable and measurable to allow yourself to accurately gauge your true progress.

Time frames for goal setting

There should be short, medium and long term goals and it is vital that the short term goals act as stepping stones in the achievement of both the medium and eventually the long term goals. That may appear to be obvious but many people fail to do this all the time. Of course there isn’t anything written in stone in regard to what comprises a short, medium or even long term goal. However, for athletics I find it to typically be effective to define something as a short term goal if it can be accomplished over a period of weeks or months. Medium term goals would be something that would be set for a period of one or two years and long terms goals would be something that will take 5-10 years or possibly more to accomplish. Of course these time frames will vary greatly depending on exactly what your goal may be. If we were talking about financial security and retirement and you happen to be a younger person short term goals are now in years and long term goals will be defined by decades.

Goals should be lofty but realistic

Your goals should be set to extract the absolute maximum from your potential. Don’t be afraid to reach too far and come up short. That fear has kept many a great person from ever achieving all that they were capable of. Remember there is no reward without risk and often the greater the risk the greater the reward. Too many people get comfortable setting goals that they know they can easily reach and then pat themselves on the back for accomplishing yet another of their goals. The reality of this is that they are limiting themselves greatly and will only achieve a fraction of what they are truly capable of. I am a firm believer in competing at the highest level you are ready for. If you’re an athlete and qualify for a national level competition, enter and compete there. Be realistic in your expectation of the results but most importantly learn from the experience and apply that knowledge to your future aspirations. Setting goals that are easily achievable proves nothing accomplishes nothing and most importantly fails to lead to progression and this is ultimately what we should all be striving toward.

While some people tend to sell themselves short when it comes to the expectations of their success just as many people suffer from being unrealistic in regard to what they can accomplish in a specific time frame. Goals should push you to your limits but if you find yourself repeatedly falling short of your goals and often by a wide margin a reality check may be in order. To correct this flaw discuss your specific goals with people that you respect, are very knowledgeable about what you’re trying to achieve and most importantly will be 100% honest with you no matter how bad it may hurt your ego. Ask them for their honest opinion and tell them not to sugar coat it. Make it clear that you want an honest critique and not a pat on the back. Tell them that you want to hear exactly what would they would say to someone else if discussing the same topic without your presence, and most importantly mean it when you say this. You must have thick skin and be able to accept constructive criticism if you wish to grow and progress in life. However, also keep in mind that their opinion is just that, their opinion and it doesn’t necessarily mean that it is 100% accurate and that you should base everything you do and strive for based on their evaluation. Accept it as a qualified opinion and combine it with everything else that you already know and believe. Still, if everyone you ask gives very similar critiques then it is highly probable that there is a great deal of validity in their appraisals.

Summary

Redefine your expectations by surrounding yourself with others that are where you desire to be. Ensure your goals are specific and objective. Base your goals around criteria that are definable and measurable. Set short, medium and long term goals and remember that it is vital that the short term goals act as stepping stones in the achievement of both the medium and long term goals. Use an inverse method of goal setting by setting your long term goals first and then work backward through your medium and short term goals. Your goals should be lofty and set to extract the absolute maximum from your potential but be careful not to be unrealistic in your expectations. Look for constructive criticism from knowledgeable and honest sources if you find yourself frequently falling short of your goals or easily accomplishing them. Most importantly remember that ultimately goal setting is all about the process of continual progression and personal growth and this is truly where we find the meaning in our aspirations.

http://www.mattkroc.com/articles/eff...-goal-setting/

[terman1]

This has been a day with a few ups and downs but overall I’m satisfied with how today went and work was done.

HammerStrength Incline Bench*
90 x 10
90 x 10
140x 8
180 x 6
200 x 5
210 x 4
220 x 3
230 x 1
*plate weight only

A little more progress was made here today in the form of a rep gained on both the 210 set and the 220 set. Not much to do here but continue to keep working at it.


Skullcrushers
30 x 10
40 x 10
80 x 8
80 x 8
80 x 8

I added ten pounds to my work sets today and met my goal of eight reps per set. I won’t be adding weight to these again until I can manage a solid ten reps across all sets.


DB Shoulder Press
30’s x 10
40’s x 10
50’s x 8
60’s x 6
70’s x 0
70’s x 3

These started off bad but I turned it around. I was a little upset because everything was going fine until I lost two reps with the 60’s today. I really wanted to at least match last week’s goal of eight reps on these however once I go to my sixth rep they may as well have been a pair of 160’s. I wasn’t happy about it but I regrouped for a couple of moments and decided that if I could just match last week’s double with the 70’s I would be good with that. I went over and grabbed to 70’s, all fired up to nail it and…..nope. Not…even…once. I’m still not sure how I did it but gave it a moment and tried it again and on the second attempt I got a triple. I’m not going to question it and it’s going in the books!


Tricep Pulldowns
32.5 x 10
62.5 x 8
62.5 x 8
62.5 x 8

I added five pounds here today and went for eight rep sets. I got all reps so I’ll work up to ten reps per set before bumping these again.


Standing French Press
20 x 10
30 x 10
50 x 10
50 x 10
50 x 10

All reps were had here today so I’ll add ten pounds next time and try for three sets of eight.


DB Upright Rows
20’s x 10
40’s x 10
40’s x 10
40’s x 10

These are my replacement for barbell upright rows since they were starting to bother my shoulder. I picked up where I left off and ended up with reps across. Next time I’ll try them with the 45’s and look for eight rep sets.


Facepulls
32.5 x 10
62.5 x 10
62.5 x 10
62.5 x 10

I had some time remaining today so I decided to add a few sets of these today. If I have time next workout I’ll try adding another five pounds and do three sets of eight.


That’s it for this week. Lots of progress was made over the past five weeks and now it’s time to allow myself to rest and repair. I’ll be doing a semi-active deload week next week so I plan on cutting the weight on most things by approximately half and reducing all work sets to three.